Trials and Tribulations
by Inventive Username Here
Summary: Love triangle/polygon/mess. ArtemisXHolly, forbidden fruit, regret, love, all that good stuff. Rated M for Lemons (in the future).
1. Mistakes managed, Problems provoked

Chapter One

_*****Author's Note*****_

_**This is my first fanfic and it was originally intended to be a one-shot, but I realised the story in my mind's eye had so much more scope so I intend to write more chapters in the future. Please be sensible in the reviewing process. I want to improve as a writer, not be told I'm shit. I am British, so I **_**WILL ****_write 'colo_****_u_****_r' and 'sterili_****_s_****_e' etc. just a warning! Let me know what you think and whether I should keep writing this particular story or just hang it up._**

**_SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER_**

**_Rated M because I want to write some good lemons into this in the future, but it didn't fit into the plot of the first chapter..._**

**_END SPOILER_**

**_Thanks for being an awesome community!_**

**_*** End Author's Note***_**

Artemis jolted upright from his peaceful slumber on his PowerBook, dismayed to see that he had drooled in his oblivious catatonic state. His ears were greeted to the unrelenting wailing of alarms emanating from every corner of his study. He gave his PowerBook a quick glance to see that one of the proximity sensors discreetly installed in an alcove in the all but unassuming Romanesque arches by the kitchen garden had been triggered. They were painted to match the dull grey of the granite construction, and the LED that would have given away its presence had of course been deftly removed without damaging the delicate circuitry. This had all been Butler's idea and Artemis silently thanked the Gods that Butler was away on his one day holiday that Artemis had insisted he take at least every three years. Artemis ruffled his thick, black hair and attempted to comb it through with his fingers, but it refused to take shape. He produced a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the drool from his PowerBook, grimacing that despite his best efforts, there was very little to separate him from the common folk in his most natural functions; he made a note of that and wondered if he could somehow change this most irksome facet of being human. He quickly realised however that this would receive little to no consumer interest and shelved this unprofitable idea and decided that it was time to address the task at hand. Though it had only taken him a precious few seconds to follow this thought process, he scolded himself for being led down the proverbial rabbit hole that was his intellect. He withdrew his smartphone from his pocket and rattled through all four security measures between the lock-screen and the home-security app to shut down the alarms.

No sooner had he done this than Juliet burst through the door, toting her trusted first-edition Colt M1911. Though it was now a relic of days gone by when it was an officer's last resort in the dreary muddy trenches of the Somme, she was entirely inseparable from the ancient weapon. She had received the antiquated piece for her nineteenth birthday as a gift from none other than Artemis himself but he had been surprised by her dedication to restore it. Madame Ko had trained her so well that despite the ancient mechanisms that had been left to rust in the World War One exhibit in the National Museum of Dublin that Artemis had deigned to relieve it from, she managed to restore it to working condition using a combination of salvaged parts from more modern renditions of the pistol and perfectly engineered parts made from scratch. The pistol now worked smoother than the day it was produced and probably even better than the M1911s produced today. Its .45 calibre round would stop a charging bull without any difficulty. While Artemis reveled at the fact that she had been able to do something so technically advanced without even consulting him he glanced upwards at Juliet who was panting having run the five hundred odd metres from her staff quarters up to his office without bothering to change from her now sweat drenched nightwear.

Her nightwear.

It took a minute for Artemis to process her nightwear. She was wearing a navy blue men's tank top that undoubtedly gave a flattering view of her chest and mismatched hot-pink booty shorts. He had never thought of Juliet as anything more than a sister, an employee, and a friend. Now that she was panting in front of him, her chest heaving and straining to pop out through the sides, top, and even through the loose-fitting fabric. He smirked inwardly as he realised that her nipples had hardened from the exertion of her run through the chilly halls and rooms of the Manor. He appraised her body and once again scolded himself for wasting even more unnecessary time appeasing his raging teenage hormones. Though he was clear of his teenage years, the angst that accompanied them had not fled him. He liked to blame it on the fact that he had entered puberty late, but in a part of his brain no doubt dominated by his hormones was the suppressed notion that he was simply a randy boy. The rest of his more reasonable and rational brain assured himself that 'it was not befitting of Artemis Fowl II, or any man of his stature, to be simply _horny_". Juliet stared at him as he began to realise that more time than was socially normal had passed between her entering and the commencement of conversation. It may also have had to do with the fact that he had a slack-jawed, eye-glazed, brain-dead expression splayed across his face. He reminded himself that not until his corpse lies six feet under Irish soil would he ever again be "brain-dead". He straightened himself into his more comfortable straight-backed posture that only he could possibly conceive to be comfortable. What was wrong with Artemis? He never, _never, _fell asleep at his desk, and he never made the mistake of allowing his male anatomy make decisions for him, especially in times of crisis.

Juliet laughed despite her training and her better judgment. It was not every day that Artemis Fowl was caught speechless. "If I had known that all it took to shut you up was some skin I would have tried that years ago." she began. She let out another hearty yet muffled laugh before she could stop herself.

"Shut-" Artemis cut himself off as he let his calculating, intelligent side takeover "I... Uh... Just woke up," he began gathering confidence "I was having a wonderful dream imagining a life where the help helped rather than projected their inane comments for the world to hear." Unnecessarily harsh he realised but perhaps harsh was what was required to cut through his embarrassment and any further retorts.

Juliet pretended to be hurt by the comment but she knew that she had caught him off-guard and that she had won. Better still he knew that she had won. She smirked at her victory. "I think we should find out who's leaving this house in a body-bag. Have you checked the camera feeds? Which sensor went off?"

Artemis dodged the second question preferring not to divulge the fact that Butler had once again been right with regards to the security of the Manor. "Motion sensors throughout the house are going haywire, but none of the cameras are showing any signs of life".

"Hmm" Juliet astutely commented, before her training kicked in: "Protect the principal" the phantom voice of Madame Ko echoed through her head. "Your bedroom is the safest place in the house, I'll take you there. You stay there and I'll look around the house, I have access to the feeds on my phone anyway."

He tried his very best to hide his grin, as he had instantly understood the symptoms the Manor's security system was plagued with. They started down the corridor, Juliet ahead, professionally turning her historic weapon around each corner before allowing Artemis to proceed. They made painfully slow progress, but Artemis refused to drop the façade of the "serious" security threat. They finally reached the door to his room and despite the darkness he was disappointed that he couldn't see the telltale yet discreet shimmering of a fairy shielding. His heart sinking and his mind beginning to become alert to the possibility of an actual threat to his security, he pressed his eye against the retinal scanner and allowed Juliet to push the door open with one hand, leaving the other prepared to pump the seven bullets in the magazine and the remaining round in the chamber into any offending partners. He heard Juliet sigh softly in disappointment as she revealed that the room and the adjoining ensuite bathrooms were empty.

Trying to hide the blow that she would have to search a little longer to put her gun to use, she told Artemis that she would be back when she found the "buggers" and left the room to begin the tedious grid search of the Manor.

Artemis moved over and sat on his bed. To call it a bed is an understatement. Rumour had it that it had once attempted to declare itself an independent nation. He sank into the soft foam layer above the more traditional spring and goose-down mattress. He sighed in exasperation, but stopped immediately when he heard a snigger from a corner of the room.

Unable to contain herself any longer Holly drifted into the visible spectrum. She was sitting on the huge wardrobe in the far corner of the room. She continued to laugh gradually increasing her volume much to Artemis' embarrassment.

"How...?" he uttered

"Retinal scanner duh!" she replied, pleased to have outwitted him

"But..." he continued to stammer before he realised: "Eye swap. Time-tunnel." He was infuriated by his own ineloquence and his general lack of respect for the rules of grammar.

"But how did you move so quickly? You tripped half the motion sensors in the house in under twenty seconds! You're not wearing any wings? And how did you get on top of the wardrobe?"

He exclaimed trying to recover from his embarrassing lack of composure. She gracefully leapt from the gargantuan wardrobe which was at least three times her modest three foot stature. She landed with such elegance that it seemed as if she had simply stood up from a seated position, not jumped from a height that even Butler would think twice about. Then in an unexpected gesture she stamped her foot down, disrupting the ballerina aura she was radiating. As soon as her foot hit the ground a set of wings burst from hidden slots in the back of her matte black Section 8 jumpsuit. The wings were beautifully shaped almost like a butterfly's, no doubt for aerodynamic reasons Artemis deduced. They flicked lazily through the air idling patiently for Holly's commands.

"That's new!" Artemis blurted out somewhat stupidly. What was up with him today? What was up? He was immensely appreciative that he had managed to keep that from bursting from his lips. His mind flitted through the possible causes of his ineloquence and his mind rested on 'brain tumor' for a fraction of a second too long before he reasoned hormones were the far more likely culprit.

Holly seemed pleased by her effect on him. She wasn't sure what to think of Artemis. She wanted to forgive him for the past. She had at least told him she had. The kidnapping, the reckless abandon with which he played with the People's technology at the risk of their exposure, his determination to break the law (though that was improving she admitted), the fact that she had lied to him and let her believe that she had signed his mother's death sentence.

But...

But they had been through so much together. He had never been anything but the gentleman, courteous to the point of being irritating. He didn't underestimate her as her kind under the surface did. He trusted her with his life. She had saved his life countless times and he hers just as many times. He had saved the People (mostly from himself she conceded), saved Hybras, and brought her friends even closer to her. He had been with her through the death of Julius, he had been with her for everything. It didn't help that he had matured into a man. He was no longer a boy and he was certainly handsome for a Mud Man. She felt the way his eyes bored into her when he thought she wasn't looking, and despite how well encrypted he thought his diary was, it had been hacked during the siege of Fowl Manor, and even at the tender age of twelve he had expressed his regret for having kidnapped a fairy, or more accurately, a fairy as cute as Holly. Holly blushed despite herself and wondered what Artemis thought she was blushing for. "You're not fifty anymore stop blushing like a schoolgirl!" she yelled at herself.

"Its so good to see you Artemis! I haven't seen you since the last time we saved the world!" She rushed forward and pulled him into an awkward hug.

Artemis felt the awkwardness too, not only because hugging was certainly not a part of his social repertoire that he was particular comfortable with, but mostly because of the height difference. He was almost three feet taller than her, with the result that her chin rested only slightly above his manhood. Artemis felt a not coincidental tingle as her chest brushed against his limp member.

Perhaps realising what her bosom was pressed against she stamped her foot once again and drifted upwards. She let herself hover noiselessly, and rested her head on his shoulder. The feeling was so comforting she thought she could stay there forever. Where were all these feelings coming from? She came here to surprise a _friend_ and to spend the night in one of the countless guest rooms. She came with the intention of spending her few precious hours that a Section 8 surface visa afforded her with one of her best friends. She tried shifting the blame onto the full moon, but even she knew that she had spent many full moons with Artemis without feeling like this. Try as she might to justify her feelings, or even try to deny them entirely, it was impossible; they were just as present, just as evident as the fact that she was here.

Artemis was beginning to feel uncomfortable- he certainly didn't want to give away how he felt. He would never live it down, the ribbing would be too much for him to handle. He reluctantly relinquished his grip and Holly immediately did likewise, cursing herself that she had let him let go first.

"Foaly must give me the blueprints for those wings, they're unlike anything I've ever seen before." Artemis said desperately trying to ease the tension.

"He can't take all the credit, I mean it was Caballine who suggested that they be retractable. Women are always more practical. Sure the wings are great, they're better than anything else around, but with Foaly you always expect something amazing, but being able to hide them makes them so much less clunky so much more..."

"...Practical" Artemis finished. They both smiled at one another, before they both averted their gazes and tried to keep the conversation as platonic as possible. Artemis tried to put the spark back into the 'New wings' topic: "I want a demonstration" he demanded, "I will never blindly accept Foaly's brilliance. And you wouldn't dare tell him I used the words 'Foaly' and 'brilliance' in the same sentence if you value your sanity!" Artemis threatened only half-jokingly.

Holly held back a smile because she was hovering about three inches from his face. She took in the view and had to clench her fists until her knuckles whitened and threatened to burst from her skin to stop herself from gasping, or worse still lean in for a kiss. His jet-black hair was flopped casually onto his brow, his piercing eyes, a mirror image of her own, cut through her defenses. The contrast between his icy blue gaze and the honest warmth of her-... his brown eye that he had not yet been able to train into lifeless submission despite himself. Her skin froze and boiled at the same time, transfixed by his looks. He had grown a lot, and filled his suits much better than before, though he still used the same tailor. He noticed her appraising him and looked awkwardly down at his feet. Holly remembered what she was meant to be doing and eased the suit out of its gentle hover and flew lithely through the air as though she had been born with wings on her back. She did a few lazy barrel rolls and loop the loops, and Artemis stared, never failing to be dumbfounded by the People's technology. She landed more quietly than a pin dropping on a thick carpet.

"I've missed you" Artemis muttered almost as quietly as Holly's landing.

"Sorry what was that?" Holly asked, pretending she hadn't heard. She was so pleased to hear the words come from his lips that she needed to hear them again.

"I-I've missed you. Not being around is all. I've become so accustomed to your bullying that I miss it when you're gone." Artemis claimed, backpedalling for fear of being too forward. They were best friends after all. At least she was Artemis' only friend not in his employ. It was funny how Artemis seemed to completely forget Minerva throughout his thought process, he would later remark. She was quite difficult to forget as she was one of the few people that Earth's surface had to offer with an intellect that could challenge his. Not only that, but she was very pretty and had had a not-so-secret crush on Artemis ever since he had outwitted her and saved her life. Artemis had long thought about pursuing Minerva romantically, but there was no challenge there, as she liked him and their love would be encouraged, never taboo. Not only that but she just wasn't Holly. He felt as though their intellects would clash, whereas Holly's physical strength and coordination complemented his intelligence.

"I've missed you too." Holly said completely oblivious to the raging reasoning in Artemis' mind. Her mind was by no means empty though. There was a brawl going on in her head and she was certain it would give her a headache if it went on much longer. On the one hand Artemis was so... different from his twelve-year old self: he wasn't cold or bitter, but he still got that twinkle in his eye when he had a brilliant idea. He was much more mature, emotionally at least, and she could feel how happy he was to see her, though he would never admit it. He was still so stubborn, but she found it cute, even endearing that he was so confident of the fact that he would always be the smartest person in any given room. She bit her lip softly picturing her idealised Artemis in her mind's eye, but quickly stopped. Her rational side was taking over. He was a Mud Man for Frond's sake! It couldn't work, it shouldn't work. So unpredictable! So volatile! So... dangerous! That word rampaged through her mind pushing aside her carefully put together counterarguments. She shivered as she realised that she liked- no loved, the danger. Artemis the bad boy. She almost laughed. Even if he didn't have a foot-long beard or wear a bandana nor would he ever be seen riding an unconscientiously loud hover-bike leather clad through the narrow streets of Haven, he was worse; badder. He could control any situation he found himself in, calm and collected, ten to twenty steps ahead depending on how interesting the quandary was. His vocabulary, and the way he used it to intimidate in a business situation, or to calm in a crisis. Holly felt a tingle run from the tips of her pointed ears to the soles of her feet as though her body knew how she felt.

"So what compelled you visit me? Foaly hasn't caught me has he?" Artemis said sincerely.

"Does a girl need a reason to visit a friend?" Holly joked, pouting her plump lips before she realised what he had said "Caught you doing what?" she demanded switching back from flirting to full police officer.

"I was just kidding, checking if you'd realise" Artemis chuckled

"Well don't joke" Holly replied gruffly "Sool is baying for your blood as it is, no need to encourage him; enough people believe him without evidence. I know, I know, you've helped the People much more than you've hurt them but still... You'd surveil yourself if you were us"

Artemis' chuckle evolved into a full out guffaw at her clumsy syntax.

Holly uncharacteristically blushed a tender pink at his ribbing. She hoped he didn't notice. She looked up at him and he stopped laughing immediately. "I'd be careful if I were you, I may be your friend but above all I serve the People, and you so much as confessed hacking into our most secure servers." Holly assumed her empty threat must have worked as Artemis' expression turned to stone. She decided to press the advantage, withdrawing her buzz-baton from her belt. It started to crackle with gentle sparks at the touch of her hand. She waved it experimentally in front of his chest and he watched it warily. She whipped it past his legs as he yelped and jumped aside.

"Watch it!" he yelled, eying the baton with distrust "I'll press the panic button! Juliet may not be Butler himself, but she is a Butler nonetheless!"

"Oh, threatening a law enforcement officer as well, we can add that to the rap sheet before I haul you down to Haven kicking and screaming." Holly replied unworried, enjoying seeing Artemis so worried. She lazily flicked the buzz-baton in a figure of eight, showing off. Artemis' eyes followed it with suspicion. Unfortunately for Artemis, he decided to step aside at the exact moment Holly lunged, aiming a hair's breadth to his side. The buzz-baton connected with a sickening thwack and crackle and Artemis plunged to the floor.

Artemis regained his consciousness half a second later and groggily opened one of his eyes a crack to see Holly recover from her shock, flinging the baton aside and rushing over to his collapsed form. Artemis was about to jolt upright and scream at Holly for being so careless with his precious IQ points when he had a better idea. He glued his eyes shut and began meditating. Years of practice meant that even in his off-kilter state he could slow his breathing and heartbeat to a dangerously slow rate, enjoying a heady lucid trance.

Holly rushed over to his broken body, his limbs unceremoniously splayed awkwardly around him. Holly jumped over his legs and let herself down slowly onto his stomach. She playfully tapped his cheeks wondering if he was faking. She realised with a start that she hadn't seen his chest heave a breath yet. She screamed loudly before her training reasserted itself. Her hand trembling, she leant forwards and clapped a hand on Artemis' throat feeling for a pulse in his carotid artery. A wave of relief shook her body when she felt his faint, fluttering pulse. She was further reassured when she felt his chest compress and expand beneath her. Artemis felt he had left her to suffer long enough and he opened his eyes returning to the world of the living. Holly let out another shriek, of pure relief this time, as she saw Artemis awaken.

Artemis' shrugged off her apologies feeling as though he had let her suffer enough as it is. He looked up at her and staring into her mismatched eyes watching with amusement as her blush changed from pink to a deep red. He became acutely aware of how she was sitting spread-eagled, straddling his chest, bending over at the waist to look down at him. Artemis risked a quick look and saw the outline of her healthy bosoms trapped within her tight flight suit.

Holly felt electric. It didn't feel awkward how she was sat on his belly. She could feel his warmth underneath her through the unyielding suit, and she shuddered as she began to feel her carnal desires piquing. She leant forwards, closing the gap between them. Her face was so close to his that she could feel his heavy breaths breaking like waves across her face. But if each breath out pushed her away, each panting inspiration pulled her much further in. She pressed her perfect lips against his, with as much innocence as she could muster, but this did nothing to dissuade the bolts of pent up pleasure shooting through her limbs, and gathering in her chest.

Artemis knew he wanted this, but now that her soft lips were pushing gently into his, he was completely paralyzed. He had read enough on the psychology of love, the mechanics of love-making, and the science of romance to know what he should do. His reading urged him to reach around her, to gently grasp her hair, and to push her into him; but his primal fears and insecurities left him frozen, his lips clamped shut, his body unmoving, but his mind yearning to be set free. With a great deal of effort he moved his arms to her waist, making her whole body quake from his touch alone.

Holly felt Artemis grin beneath her, his lips opening just a crack, but she took her chance. Her tongue darted through the rift meeting his.

Artemis instinctively recoiled, but brought himself back just as quickly. He felt his fears evaporate as he felt Holly's hands stroking his chest reassuringly. For a second of pure bliss their tongues danced the age-old dance, writhing and wriggling and acquainting themselves with one another.

Their ecstasy was broken short by a sequence of beeps coming from the door. Artemis turned to look, immediately put on alert by the presence of an intruder. Holly, apparently oblivious to the third party nuzzled her nose against Artemis' neck. Juliet burst through the door, sweeping her gun from side to side before seeing Artemis pinned down by what appeared to be a small woman in a cat suit. As she trained the gun preparing to squeeze the trigger, she was reminded of her brother Butler famously saying that 'eight of the top-ten paid hitters were women'. Without further hesitation she wrapped her finger around the trigger pulling it back to the first stop.

Juliet would have followed through had Artemis not bellowed "NO!" louder than humanly possible and flipped the assassin onto the ground, covering her body with his own. Juliet's finger relaxed from the trigger, though she was no less alert than before. "Get away from her. She could be dangerous." Juliet growled. "You're not hurt are you?" she asked as Artemis stood up.

"I'm perfectly fine thank you" Artemis replied curtly, bending down and clasping the metal (wo)man's hand.

Juliet reacted and started towards the unknown intruder seeing now that she was clearly a woman. She put herself between Artemis and the woman, protecting her principal. What Madame Ko had not prepared her for was a principal who refused to let go of his attempted killer. She began attempting to separate their hands when Artemis interrupted her action: "Juliet" he said softly "This is Holly… my… girlfriend?" It was clear from his intonation that he was not sure if that was true, and Holly looked up at him wearing surprise, happiness, and confusion on her face at the same time.

"Girlfriend?" she repeated incredulously "I don't know about that Juliet, but Artemis and I will have to discuss it."

"How do you know my name?" asked Juliet, more surprised than worried. "And what's up with your ears, and why are you so short?" Juliet looked at the new girl, apparently disapproving of her every feature.

"Umm…" Holly began, looking at Artemis desperately. Artemis nodded back at her and mouthed something she couldn't make out. Then it hit her "_You don't see anything out of the ordinary_" she said her voice dripping with sweet mesmer.

"Nothing weird" Juliet said dumbly, staring vacantly into the dark room

"_And I'm actually very pretty_" she added hopefully. Artemis shot her a skeptical look and she corrected herself "_On second thought, forget that last bit_".

Juliet's eyes straightened and she blurted out "Hi Holly, you're so pretty!" She shook herself and looked taken aback by what she had said, and correct herself "I mean normal!" Now looking more bewildered than ever Juliet holstered her weapon in her booty shorts, and started retracing her steps back to the door, as if she thought that if she left now no one would notice she had been there. She looked suspiciously between Artemis and Holly, giving Holly every evil eye she could; and being an ex-professional wrestler, not only her eyes looked evil. She opened the door and stepped out, closing it silently behind her. As soon as she left the room her legs stopped supporting her and she sank slowly to the floor, her back sliding frictionlessly against the door. She bit back bitter tears, unsure of why seeing Artemis with someone else made her feel so bad.

On the other side of the door, Juliet's entrance had brought the pair crashing back to Earth. "Girlfriend?" Holly echoed fancifully. "Do you want me to be your girlfriend?" she asked honestly. While she was being honest she wondered to herself if she wanted to be his girlfriend.

"Shouldn't do this" Artemis whispered.

"Sorry?" Holly genuinely asked. Even her sensitive ears couldn't make out what he had said.

"We shouldn't do this again" Artemis murmured only a fraction of a decibel louder. It wasn't like him to get cold feet, especially about Holly; the only thing he had truly wanted for the past few years.

"What? Why? After that?" Holly could only express a few syllables. She didn't understand what he meant. He had been just as eager, just as passionate, perhaps even more enthusiastic than she, but it was him who couldn't handle it. She should have known. How could Artemis Fowl ever truly love someone, how could he settle for anyone, be with them until he grew old. "Is it… is it because I'm an elf?" She asked.

He hesitated, then nodded slowly realising that this was the best way to let her down. It was cruel, but the lesser of a multitude of evils. He stood, rooted to the spot, unable to move at all.

Holly turned her back to him, furiously blinking back tears. It felt weird that she was so emotionally invested in a quasi-relationship that had only lasted ten minutes at most. But she realised, the kiss hadn't been the beginning. The beginning had been all those years ago when she read his confession in his diary at the siege. He was turning his back on her, and on everything they had shared since. She stamped her foot so hard it hurt and flew straight at the door, stopping at the last second to wrench it open. She buzzed past Juliet who was still moping outside the door. She turned around and shouted "You can have him!" to Juliet, not really knowing why, but it felt good to blame it on someone. Juliet just looked up at her and said nothing. Bitter and angry, Holly made her way back to Tara, forgetting to complete the ritual and wasting a full day of her visa.

Artemis stood in silence, shocked that he had given up his sincerest wish out of consideration for Holly. After pondering his chivalry, reality struck and he stumbled into bed, not making an effort to hide his streaming tears.

TBC depending on reviews.


	2. United by Hatred

Trials and Tribulations

_Chapter Two- United by Hatred_

*****Authors Note*****

**Sorry for the delay guys, been busy doing nothing in particular... I'm getting into the story now and I'm really pleased with the upcoming plot. For those horny ones amongst you who only clicked this link for the M-Rating, this chapter contains no lemons... sorry about that... it's coming... eventually. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, the support is great, but I'd really appreciate some comments about the style or grammar. If you reviewed the last chapter, feel free to review again, I'm not tired of being told I'm awesome. The next chapters *should* be coming faster, but I might forget, so don't rely on it. **

**Thanks for reading and enjoy.**

*****End Authors Note*****

Somewhere

'Curious' she thought. It was curious to be a spirit. Curse that pitiful human, that ever-predictable elf, that infernal centaur, those poisonous humans, the holier-than-thou People. Being a spirit would take some getting used to she realised. The sensation of being present, but not being tangible. Losing her carnate body, perfect though it was, had its advantages: she could pass unseen and unbidden and observe. After her bodily death at the Berserker Gate, she had been patient. As a spirit she was under even less scrutiny than when she had been playing vegetable. She had been watching her enemies closely, and, much to her chagrin, she learned that Artemis, one of her most hated foes, was ailed by heartache like any normal creature. She had during her various incarcerations decided that Artemis must have superhuman wits and abilities to have been capable of besting her on so many occasions. The reality fell disappointingly short of her romanticised expectations. 'Of course' Opal purred to herself 'it was luck all along'. It was impossible for _this_ pitiful specimen to beat her on any intellectual battlefield without the luck of a leprechaun sitting in a field of four-leafed clovers wishing on shooting stars. Opal smiled, or she would have, had she possessed a face, once again enjoying her own charms, charms that no doubt would have made her the most loved despot the world would ever see, above or below the surface. There it was again, her selfless need to help those less genius than herself. For her plans to work now she would have to push aside her urges to save the People from their own idiocy. They were too far gone now. She would have to wipe the slate clean, above and below the surface and start afresh. She would have to do this alone. No accomplices to make mistakes. She knew that she had cheated death one too many times, even she didn't quite know how she had survived the death circle at the Berserker Gate. Maybe she had too much black magic coursing through her veins for the enchantments to handle. Maybe it was sheer determination. Either way Opal had resigned herself to being an omnipotent invisible presence- a God. An angry God. 'Yes, that will do' she purred.

Fowl Manor

Artemis was sitting in his study at Fowl Manor, gazing out the mullioned windows onto the wild gardens below, pondering, trying to navigate the tumultuous seas of his mind. It was unlike Artemis to mope. So unlike him that in his darker moments he even considered going to a psychiatrist to help himself. Then he remembered those obtuse quacks that St Bartleby's had lined up for him, none of which had lasted past the fifth session. He let out what was meant to be a cheery chuckle, but left his lips a deep grunt leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. It was so out of character for him to sacrifice his happiness like that. Sure, to save humanity and the People he had put himself in the firing line more times than was reasonable for anyone to demand, but with nothing at stake but someone else's feelings, he had surprised even himself. But now, even knowing how painful the decision had been, he knew that he had made the right choice. Holly was eighty, young for her species and would (if she wasn't killed in the service) live to the ripe age of eight or nine hundred without breaking a sweat. Artemis however, if luck was on his side could make it to ninety if he was pushing it. No, it wouldn't be fair to let Holly endure at least six hundred years of heartbreak while he rested under the ground. But that was just scratching the surface of the problem. Holly could never live on the surface, the People would never let him live under the surface, she would be shunned from her people, and he from his family, they could never have children… In all his fantasies, and he had many fantasies, he had always ignored the mechanics of their problem. Even if he wasn't particularly… large… he would be gargantuan in Holly's eyes. It would be like trying to thread an eight-wheeler through the eye of a needle. It couldn't be done, not even with magic.

Police Plaza (Two Weeks Later)

Holly had been taking the break-up, if you could call it that, much harder than she had anticipated. So she did what any rational workaholic would do and she spent more hours than was either healthy or needed at her desk signing meaningless paperwork and shouting at the new LEPrecon recruits. She was something of a legend, and was now among the most decorated officers in recon history, but her face's propensity to flush a burning red when she lost her temper had earned her the nickname Radish. Everyone knew how close she had been to Julius 'Beetroot' Root, and they must have thought that she was proud to be the new 'Beetroot', but each time they called her Radish behind her back she was reminded of how much she missed her mentor… and then back to Artemis… What was he thinking? Sure he was tall, handsome (in as feminine a sense of the word possible), more than just intelligent, rich beyond belief, and could without a doubt get any woman he set his mind to, but where would he find what they had, what they had had for years? But in a way she knew he was right- she was an elf after all….

She was abruptly awoken from her reverie by the rude and ceaseless screaming of an alarm. 'All officers report to my office!' Shouted Foaly through the speakers, though shouting was entirely unnecessary as even a whisper would have been deafening to those outside of his insulated geek-fortress. Everyone groaned and held their ears as they made their way to the black box that was Foaly's home eighteen hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. The black of the glass slowly dissolved and revealed Foaly's dishevelled figure, hunched over his keyboard sobbing into the old-school mechanical keys. Holly was the first to recover from the shock of seeing the usually stalwart centaur in such a state.

'Foaly, what's happened?' she asked in the sweet condescending tone used to address children with bumps and bruises.

'They…' he paused contemplating his words 'Something's wrong with Caballine… We were talking on the communicator, when she stiffened for a second, stared down at her feet, tripped over and ran away. She won't answer any calls and she's not at the house or at work… She even dug out the tracker melted into her shoe… I know something's wrong, she wouldn't disappear like this…' Foaly looked down at his hooves and dejectedly, fitting the symptoms of Caballine's situation to all possible diagnoses, becoming more and more worried by the second.

Holly stood there watching one of her closest friends fall to pieces and knew she couldn't take it any longer 'Let me in Foaly' she said firmly- more a demand than a question.

Foaly looked up and reached under his desk, fumbling for a second before his fingers felt the familiar shape of the door release button.

The door popped open and Holly dismissed the ranks before entering Foaly's sanctum. She closed the door quietly before tentatively approaching Foaly and gently petting his flank. 'Foaly I know you're worried, and I won't pretend to understand what you're going through, but the LEP is not your private army. How long has Caballine been missing?'

Foaly sniffed and whispered as if spelling out a death sentence 'Four minutes and 26 seconds now. 27, 28, 29…'

Holly gasped, astounded by how crazy Foaly had become over a few measly minutes 'Four and a half minutes?!'

'Almost five now!' Foaly wailed

'You're insane! She could be getting her hair done! Or she could have gone to the farrier to get her hooves reshod! She's not missing- she's gone for a walk!'

'But why would she have just walked off?' asked Foaly, more stubbornly his mule uncle.

'Get a grip Foaly! And why'd you smell funny?'

Foaly said nothing in reply, but he visibly brightened. He rushed over to his keyboard and began hammering furiously on the keys as if each key was personally responsible for Caballine's disappearance.

'Foaly?' Holly asked, beginning to worry herself.

There was a moment of quiet between the two, interrupted only by the clicking of the keys being pushed further than they were ever intended to go.

At last Foaly replied 'No, you smell funny!'

'What!' demanded Holly, pretending to be offended

'I smell funny to you, you smell funny to me, goblins smell like month-old troll dung to everyone. Every species has its own scent. There aren't that many centaurs in Haven, even fewer mares. I can track Caballine by the way she smells! Foaly 1, mystery kidnappers 0! Here!' he shouted audibly ecstatic about his own genius. 'On the left screen you can see a map of Haven. Then-' Holly waited a second while he tapped a few commands that meant nothing to her into the keyboard '-there. I've superimposed the radii of the sensors that can detect olfactory signals onto the map. I've got almost all of Haven covered, and the rest I can just check manually with the cameras! It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to find her.'

They waited in silence for something- anything to happen. A couple seconds later, three pulsating blips appeared on the sceen. Foaly quickly checked the camera feeds and was relieved to see it was an old mare with three foals window shopping on Second Street. A minute later there was another blip, but it was just a stallion sitting in a lonely café musing over an empty mug. This continued for what seemed like hours, but Foaly never seemed to tire. At last they found her, boarding a tourist shuttle to Tara.

'She doesn't have a Visa!' exclaimed Holly, more surprised that she managed to get through security than she was angry. Foaly just seemed relieved. A few minutes later she appeared in the Tara shuttleport, and Foaly followed her to a locker hidden behind a column. Holly didn't know what Caballine was doing, but she realised that they had spent almost twenty minutes tracking down and following the mare Foaly was meant to trust more than himself.

'We know she's safe Foaly, why don't you switch off the cameras now, you shouldn't be snooping. Obviously whatever's in that locker's private and it doesn't seem fair that you should see what it is. When she's ready she'll tell you herself.'

Holly immediately stopped talking when Caballine emerged from the behind the column brandishing two Neutrinos. She made her way calmly to exit, ignoring the tourists' screams and the general mayhem around her. A brave security gnome approached her unenthusiastically waving a buzz-baton, and she pointed both guns at him and shot him square in the chest without breaking a stride. Holly and Foaly watched in horror as she hijacked a shuttle and left Tara, powered on the shields, and winked out of the visible spectrum. No one said a word for several minutes.

Holly decided to make the first step: 'Foaly?' There was no reply. 'Foaly?' She repeated just as shell-shocked as he was.

'It's not her.' He muttered in reply.

'But… you saw her, it looked like her…'

'Holly, she can't even drive a hovercar, let alone a shuttle. And she'd never…' he trailed off, leaving what he meant to be painfully clear.

'Foaly, we both saw it. I know how much this must hurt, but we have to stop her.'

'And I saw you shoot Root on video!' Foaly snapped 'It's fake! It's got to be!'

'That was different, you know that' Holly replied, doing her best not to scream, and tear her hair out at the mention of Julius, let alone that she had personally pulled the trigger on him.

Foaly ignored her: 'Call Artemis' he commanded.

'But…' Holly replied hoping he would understand all her torn emotions, and reluctance to admit they needed his help.

'Call him' he said flatly, not leaving her room to argue.

Sighing with all the bitterness her little heart could muster, she pulled out her communicator and called Artemis.

Fowl Manor

'Master Artemis is finally getting to be himself again' thought Butler as he watched Artemis tinkering with one of the thousands of solar panels on the converted Learjet. After a few minutes of prodding it with a screwdriver he seemed pleased with the result and began to move onto the next panel. At that moment his phone rang. As he withdrew his phone from his breast pocket Butler could see his face go through every emotion on the spectrum. Artemis' face finally settled on distraught, and grudgingly accepted the call and brought it up to his ear.

Artemis waved casually at Butler, dismissing him. As Butler's hulking figure faded out of the hangar, he began speaking: 'Holly I'm sorry. I handled that like an ass, I shouldn't have been so abrupt, it's just what had to be done.'

Holly bit back the urge to argue, swallowed her pride and said 'Yes you were… but this isn't about

that. Caballine's… gone rogue…' she finished phrasing her replies as tactfully as possible.

'What do you mean' Artemis asked, already trying to work out a plan.

Holly explained exactly what had happened, and Artemis remained silent for a minute.

'We have to find her. It's… too… perfect… that Caballine, Foaly's wife goes schitz…' Artemis said, choosing his words carefully 'I don't know how, but someone's behind this. Foaly, use all your resources to track her, Holly, I need you to send someone to pick me up at Tara, I need to be underground so we can move quickly to where we need to be on the surface. I'll leave within the hour and start going through the possibilities.' With that, he hung up, buttoned his cuffs, straightened his tie, and addressed Butler. 'Prepare the Bentley, we're going to Tara.'

Butler inwardly groaned and readied himself for a subterranean adventure in rooms and vehicles built for fairies a third of his height.


	3. Realisations (Part One)

**Realisations (Part One)**

**Author's Note**

Thanks for reading guys, I've almost hit 500 unique views! So I've put a lot of time into this story and I have the plot mapped out in my head, and it would be an understatement to say that I am pleased with it. I might end up writing a full-length version of this story without the ArtemisXHolly aspect and the upcoming lemons. My exams are coming up soon so it might be a while before I update, but I might also update it within the next few days just to keep my mind off revision.

Onto reviews. Thanks everyone (all seven of you) for reviewing. Every review makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and it makes my day; it makes me feel appreciated, so thanks! Seriously, a review takes between five seconds and five minutes to write depending on the level of detail you go into, and they make me smile, so you know... review! I'm not going to stop writing because you don't review, but reviews will definitely make the chapters come faster. High demand - high supply. Only one in 70 of you is reviewing at the moment so get your act together!

This was originally going to be just one chapter, but I decided to split it into two parts because otherwise you might not get an update for a few more weeks and the chapter would be like 10,000 words long.

Thanks once again for reading and reviewing, and above all, enjoy.

**End Author's Note**

**Tara Shuttleport, above-ground entrance**

The Bentley passed through McGraney's farm on the beaten dirt track, whipping up thick clouds of dust as it made its way to Tara. The car silently slowed to a halt, and a wave of dust swept over the car, blanketing it in a thick layer of beige granules. Once the dust had settled, Butler opened the driver's-side door, looked around making sure there was no one around to see their arrival, and opened the door for Artemis. Together, the pair walked purposefully to a cow grazing peacefully in the verdant pastures. To the casual observer it would have appeared that a giant of a man and his young charge simply walked through the cow and disappeared, but in truth, the cow and the surrounding grass were simply holograms, put in place to disguise the entrance to Tara's shuttleport. Butler had to get down on his hands and knees to fit into the concealed lift, and even Artemis had had to bow his head to avoid hitting the ceiling.

Artemis had remained silent throughout the journey. Whether that was because he was trying to figure out a solution to the situation they were in, or if he was worrying about how Holly would react to seeing him, Butler didn't know. Butler didn't know the full details, but he had heard enough from Juliet to know that something had happened between the two of them and that it had ended badly. If Butler was completely honest with himself, he was pleased that Artemis had found some company other than himself and his family. It wasn't normal for teenagers to spend more time worrying about stocks than girls, and fairy or not, Holly was a girl. Artemis was as much a son to him as Juliet was a sister, and Butler worried about him.

A bell announced the lift's arrival, and the two men stepped out. The shuttleport showed no signs of the conflict that had taken place only a few hours ago, and tourists were milling around, their excitement at the prospect of a few precious hours on the surface evident on their faces. Despite his genius Artemis had overlooked that the sight of two Mud-Men in one of the busiest shuttleports would cause chaos, and despite his frantic pleas for calm in fluent Gnommish, the tourists continued to scream and run back through the terminal, jumping turnstiles and clambering over one another to escape the evil Mud-Men. One brave tourist produced a cheap camera and snapped a picture before joining the frantically fleeing crowds. A minute later security gnomes wearing riot gear that they had obviously never used before appeared, tentatively stepping towards the intruders, brandishing their buzz-batons as if they would make any difference if Butler decided they were a threat. Artemis quickly explained who they were, enjoying the shudder that the mention of Butler's name produced, and that they were waiting for Holly Short to take them down to Haven.

The security gnomes seemed to relax once they realised who they were, but refused to step out of the formation that encircled Butler and Artemis. A moment later, Holly appeared, pushing her way through the escaping crowds, and grimly ordered the gnomes to stand down. The gnomes gave her a disapproving look, and made their way back to restore order in the terminal, looking much more cavalier than they had when they first approached the Mud-Men. After all, they had just successfully detained Butler, the man who had taken on a troll in close combat.

'Artemis.' Holly said, keeping her eyes on the floor. It was more of a statement than an acknowledgement.

'Holly.' Artemis replied in an equally unenthusiastic manner. 'Any news?' Artemis added after the silence became too uncomfortable to bear.

'No. Foaly hasn't found her yet.' She said trying to say as few words as possible.

'Where's Foaly? Shouldn't there be some sort of taskforce trying to track her down?'

'She hasn't done anything serious yet. She's hijacked a shuttle and stunned a poor gnome, but that's still small game. And the Council refuse to believe that she's a credible security threat. They won't believe that we have another disaster on our hands so soon after the Berserker Gate. Foaly's had to barricade himself in his office so he can focus on this. It's just me, you, Butler, and Foaly against a psycho centaur.'

'I HEARD THAT!' Foaly's unmistakable voice bellowed over the PA system. 'She's not a psycho, she's just… going through…' there was a long pause '…something…' The strain evident in his voice. 'She hasn't left the shuttle yet, so I can't track her scent. Whoever's behind this is a pro. She's torn out the decoy tracker in the engine block, and she's even torn out the speaker system. They're good.'

'I suspect you'll find that _she's _good. Not they. She.' Artemis said quietly half hoping the microphones wouldn't pick up his low voice.

Foaly's image appeared on the terminal screens as though a tongue lashing wasn't ample enough a punishment for Artemis' assumption, but that he needed the visual to experience the full extent of his fury. 'She!? You think Caballine's doing this on her own?! She couldn't, she wouldn't… She's been mesmerized, or… something I don't know, but it's not Caballine.'

Artemis let Foaly finish his tirade and said 'I agree. I don't think it's Caballine. It's Opal.'

His words hung in the air for a moment before a torrent of disbelief rained down upon him.

'Impossible!'

'She's dead!'

'No magical being could have survived the Berserker Gate!'

Artemis interrupted them before they could continue their disbelieving rants. 'Exactly.'

'What'd you mean "exactly"?' Foaly asked, beginning to realise that Artemis might not be as moon-addled as he seemed.

'No magical being could have survived the Berserker Gate. Much like me, Opal isn't completely human. She had a pituitary gland grafted into her brain. She was part human, and could have become a spirit too. I'm not sure, but it fits. Everyone else who would want to get to you has either been recycled or is behind laser-bars.'

'But Ockham's Razor, the solution with the fewest assumptions is most likely to be true. There's no way Opal's back.' Foaly replied using concepts only Artemis could hope to understand.

'And I might reply with Chatton's anti-razor. "_Se non è vero, è ben trovato"_\- "If it's not true, it is well conceived." Regardless of whether Opal has returned or not, it is safe to assume that there is no enemy we could possibly face more dangerous than Opal, so we must prepare for the worst.'

The screens flickered for a moment, and it seemed as though the shock of Opal's returning for the fifth time was too much for Foaly to handle, but after a few seconds of static, the black-and-white snowstorm cleared up and Caballine's face appeared on the screen.

'Oh Gods, is that what I look like!' Exclaimed Caballine, in a poor imitation of Opal's voice. It seemed somehow garbled coming from Caballine's mouth. 'No wonder she had to settle for you Foaly.' Opal/Caballine snarled spitefully.

'Opal.' Growled Foaly. 'Get. Out. Of. My. WIFE!' He shouted, his pitch crescendoing to a scream as he forced each word out.

Opal giggled uncontrollably, obviously enjoying her nemesis' reaction. 'I don't think I will, I'm quite comfortable in here, but these useless hooves are going to take some getting used to.' She turned to face Artemis from her lofty position on the screen. 'It seems you worked out the other half of the puzzle. It seems so obvious now, not that I'd given it much thought, but I thought it was the black-magic that saved me. Now it's clear. I was saved by the human in me, and the black-magic stopped me from becoming a useless spirit like you, reduced to haunting the fields by your estate. The black-magic gave me the power to control this useless donkey. But her body will do for the moment. I can always dispose of her when I'm done… Anyway, I've got to go. Congratulations on working it out Fowl. It's a pity you'll be char-grilled next time I see you, it would have amused me to keep you as pet in my new world, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Toodle-oo.' Her image wavered for a second, before disappearing altogether. It seemed as if Opal was having some sort of identity crisis. No self-respecting evil genius would ever sign off with a 'toodle-oo.' And Opal had long since blasted through self-respecting and had reached the lofty heights of self-worshipping. Maybe Caballine was fighting back.

There was more than a moment of stunned silence before Holly broke the silence. 'She's really back.'

'She's really back.' Agreed Butler, who usually remained silent in these situations.

'Straight from the horse's mouth.' added Artemis, surprised and quietly impressed that he had been right.

'She's. Not. A. Horse!' bellowed Foaly, who hadn't yet regained the ability to control the volume of his voice.

Artemis winced as the PA system amplified his voice to a dangerous level. 'Sorry, it's just a saying. You were tracking her right?' Artemis answered changing the subject as swiftly as he could.

'Hmm' Foaly hummed, still not entirely convinced 'She didn't give me enough time get a precise fix on her location, but I think she's somewhere in Asia.'

**Somewhere in Asia**

What the cameras couldn't have seen was the contents of the backpack she had retrieved from the locker in Tara. Twenty million US Dollars in Treasury Bonds. She had forged them years ago and had had the Brill twins leave them in Tara along with the Neutrinos. Insurance. A safety net. She realised now that her caution had paid off. The bonds were as good as currency, but had the vital advantage of being a tiny fraction of the weight and much harder to track. They were good fakes and would pass all human attempts to verify them, at least until they were cashed in at the treasury in seven years when the term of the bond ran out. The US treasury might realise they were fakes, but that bought her seven years, and she wasn't particularly worried about some puny humans.

She was in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of Yunnan Province, China. An hour's drive down a rocky dirt track would take her to Kunming, the capital of the region. Even so, when she stepped out of the shuttle a mile outside of the heavily guarded facility, she made sure that the screens were securely fastened around her waist. She must have been a sight to see: a pretty mare, with an iPad-like panel strapped to her abdomen and another on her back. Not that the poor Mud-Men would understand what they saw. She pressed a button on both of the screens and they burst into action. A recording of her voice blared out of the speakers, and her face was plastered over the screens. Her mangled facsimile of her trilling tones spoke clearly out of the speakers, alternating between Mandarin and Cantonese, making sure that it hit all the workers and guards. Her tinny voice repeated the same mantra over and over: 'I am human. Let me in. Bring me Ming.' Her voice was mesmerising- literally. She had wondered whether she would retain any magic at all, but it seemed that the limitations on her magic were enforced by her mortal body. Her soul, in its pure form, seemed to be unrestrained and she could mesmerise with ease, feeling no strain at all. She passed through the main gate unchallenged, and the guards wore the tell-tale mask of blankness. All their own thoughts ceased, and they were, at least for the moment, docile.

Ming approached from the distance, and the look of shock on his face disappeared as the reassuring tones of Opal's voice calmed him. He was a short man with jet black her and a featureless face. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were unfocused. He could have been a taxi driver if it weren't for his obviously expensive suit. He was the chief of distribution for the Yunnan tin group, the largest tin mining company in the world. He finally reached Opal.

'Ming! I can't tell you how good it is to see you!' Opal shrieked.

Ming barely reacted, he was still being actively affected by the magic.

Opal realised her mistake and stopped the flow of magic before the poor Mud-Men's eyes tore themselves apart from the inside. She hadn't realised how potent magic would be when it was literally poured from someone's soul.

'It is good to see you too. What may I call you?' He asked looking a little surprised. He didn't seem to care that there was a mythical creature standing but a few feet in front of him.

'My name is not important.' She said curtly, reapplying a trickle of Mesmer. 'What is important is that you have 40,000 tonnes of tin ore. I would like to purchase it. All of it.'

'But you would need…' He paused for a second while he waggled his fingers in front of his face, working out a relatively simple calculation.

She waited a few seconds before realising this would take too much of her precious time. She wondered why she didn't just kill them all, but remembered that she couldn't carry 40,000 tonnes of tin, even with a shuttle. 'Approximately 26 million US Dollars. I know. I have 20 million Dollars, and you will be happy to part with your ore for that sum. I think I deserve a bulk discount.' Honeying her words with sweet Mesmer. Life was so much easier with magic.

'Mmm…' The man pondered for a second, fighting the Mesmer. But a second was all he managed before he succumbed. '20 million will be fine. I will bring a form with our banking details…' He turned and began to walk away.

'In fact, I'd like to pay now…'

**Haven/Asia**

Foaly hated feeling helpless. He had felt helpless on very few occasions. This was worse than usual. But a dull red pulsing light on his monitor stifled the sensation before he could fall any further into his depression. The sensors hadn't picked up Caballine's scent, and now he was staring at the light, his mouth agape, so surprised by what he saw. He gathered his senses and called Artemis and Holly, doing his best to lower his pitch of his voice from a shriek. 'She's in China!' Foaly exclaimed, unable to contain himself. 'Why's she in China?'

'I'm not sure, by the looks of it she's in Yunnan, and she's moving.' Artemis mused. Of course he knew about the Yunnan Tin Group, he had actually once considered acquiring the company, but the volatility of both the price of tin and Chinese's attitude to foreigners had dissuaded him.

But he couldn't see the significance. Once he realised, he would be too late. That was the beauty of Opal's plan- this time it wasn't flamboyant. Of course Artemis and his gang of apes would have to suffer excruciatingly painful deaths, and when they tried to stop her, they would be playing right into her hand.

'But how did you find her? You barely had enough sensors to cover Haven, there's no way you had sensors that could interpret smells on a dirt track in China.' Artemis wondered.

As if he had jinxed it, the pulsing red dot, their beacon to find Opal, Caballine's only lifeline, flickered and gasped its last breath and faded into black.

Foaly began hammering at his keyboard so hard Holly almost expected the keys to start hitting him back. After a minute of intense typing he angrily pushed away the keyboard, a look of frustration painted on his face.

'Foaly?' Holly asked, growing more concerned by the minute. Foaly didn't have tantrums. He found solutions and despite the torture his keyboard had undergone it didn't seem to be any closer to spilling its secrets.

'The signal's gone. But the thing is, she wasn't picked up by her scent. The tracker in her shoe began transmitting for a few seconds, and disappeared again. Maybe she damaged it in Tara, maybe it's just on its last legs and chose the worst possible moment to go dark, but we know she's in Yunnan. That narrows the search down from the all of Asia to only a few thousand kilometres squared.'

Artemis noticed the colour returning to Foaly's cheeks as he began to picture the heroic rescue. He was her knight in shining armour, except in his fantasy he was the rider, and a barbaric Mud-Man his trusty steed. Artemis held back the obvious knowing that it would crush Foaly. Opal didn't make such elementary mistakes. If the beacon was active, she must have wanted them to notice it. Instead he put on an enthusiastic grin. They were going to China.

Two hours later, they arrived in Yunnan. There was no sign of Opal, it was as if she had never been there. They decided to look around, but that it would be best if Holly stayed in the shuttle. Artemis had done his best to try convince her that they needed someone to guard the ship. Holly knew better. She wasn't human, she wouldn't fit in. It was the same reason Artemis wouldn't have her. She bit back the anger knowing it would do nothing to improve their situation, but it felt good to hate someone that, unlike Opal, was often within punching distance.

Artemis and Butler made their way down the steps that had folded out of the side of the shuttle. Artemis had had to wait while Butler forced his monstrous bulk through an opening made for people not much more than a third of his height- and for that matter- breadth. Artemis was dismayed to see that they were nowhere near Kunming. Of course it would have been impossible to land in the city, but wouldn't it have been possible to land closer? He thought about asking Holly to drop them further along the road, but even he knew enough about women to know that he would pay dearly if he even suggested it. As they began to trudge towards the distant hum of the city he felt the leather soles of his Prada shoes abrading, layer by layer against the sharp, uneven stones beneath his feet. He wondered if she had done it on purpose to spite him. He didn't have time to follow his thoughts to their logical conclusions before a cart drawn by two oxen lumbered past them, heading away from the city. Artemis was far from fluent in Cantonese, but he picked up a smattering of their conversation:

'Two hundred, maybe three hundred trucks!'

'No, not three hundred!'

'Maybe!'

The rest of the conversation was broken and he heard only individual words, but enough to confirm one of the possibilities that had been bouncing around his head.

'錫!'- The Cantonese word for tin. It was all the proof he needed. His shirt was sticking to his back and he was desperate to get back into the cool of the shuttle, but at the same time he knew that this had something to do with Opal. He grunted at Butler and hoped he would understand- he didn't think he could manage another grunt in his exhaustion, let alone a sentence. Thankfully he understood and the strange pair made their way back to the shuttle.

When they arrived at the shuttle the staircase descended and Artemis climbed it into the shuttle. He was grateful that Butler had let him go first as he didn't know how much longer he could last in China's sweltering heat. Holly nodded an acknowledgement at him, seeming surprised that they had returned so quickly. Artemis quickly explained what he had overheard, but it was clear that Holly wasn't convinced.

'Is that it? That's all the proof you have, and you're prepared to let Caballine's life hang in the balance?'

'It's the only lead we have. And I don't exactly think Opal's going to be hiding in Kunming. She's planning something, and we need to know what.'

'Fine. But is that all you know?'

'Yes. That's all I know.' Artemis finished choosing his words carefully. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly truthful either. He had a pretty good idea what Opal was planning but he had no way of knowing for sure.

He sat down heavily in the co-pilot's chair, produced a pad and paper and began writing long complicated formulae and computing the values. He had no need for a calculator, in fact it would only have slowed him down.

'Are there any chutes around here?' He asked, his intonation betraying his desperation.

'Only the E22, but that's over six hundred kilometres away. Why?'

'No there's another. There must be. It's long straight and goes all the way to the core- to the centre of the earth! It's here somewhere!' He burst out, abandoning any attempt to hide his urgency. It wasn't so much that the thought of Opal's plan that worried him, but the fact that he could be wrong. What good was a resident genius if he couldn't outwit a spirit? 'Isn't there some sort of GPS in this old bucket?'

'I know where every working chute is. I know where they start, where they come out, and how dangerous they are. It's part of basic training. Don't belittle me Fowl.' She growled, forcing each syllable out slowly to keep herself from bursting out.

There was a moment of silence, and then a voice piped up, startling everyone and even making Butler reach for his gun.

'It's here. The E3!' Everyone had forgotten that Foaly was still in Haven, listening intently, providing silent backup and vital recon. 'It hasn't been in use since the 1600's. That's why you haven't heard of it. It's not really a chute in the true sense of the word, but a fissure that formed when Pangea broke apart. It's a direct route to the core and it links up with hundreds of smaller chutes. It's too dangerous to navigate most of the time, but it's been fairly stable for the past twenty years or so. The walls haven't moved more than twenty metres in the past six months! It's hidden in a mountain range only a few hundred kilometres from here, and Opal was heading towards it when the locator was working. That's it! But why?' He fell silent, but only for a moment which was punctuated by a mournful 'No!' He paused again. 'This is bad. This is really, really bad.'

Artemis leaned forwards and turned the radio off. He had no doubt that Foaly could reactivate it if he needed to, but Artemis hoped he would understand why he had cut him off. At the moment Holly was the biggest threat to the success of his plan. What his plan was, he still wasn't sure himself, but he knew he at least had some time before he would be expected to have a solution. He turned to Holly and braced himself. The fate of the world relied on Holly trusting him, and after what had happened in Fowl Manor only a few weeks ago, he wasn't sure the world would survive.

'Holly I need you to trust me. Like you trusted me on Hybras and everywhere else. I will tell you what you need to know, and I need you to do what I say. Of all of Opal's plans to destroy or rule the world, this is the most likely to succeed. She only needs to put one wheel in motion and the rest will take care of itself. There's nothing we can do to stop phase one of her plan, and phase two is hard, if not impossible to stop. And phase three… there's no phase three. We only have one chance. So if anyone's going to survive this I need you to follow me without hesitation. I need you to forget that you hate me, or that you can't believe a word that comes from my mouth after what happened. I need you.'

There was no emotion in his voice other than the desperate pleading. It was as if the original twelve year-old Artemis had returned and there was nothing that mattered but the plan. It wasn't an Artemis Holly liked, but it was an Artemis who would stop at nothing to succeed, and perhaps that was what they needed now. She stifled an exasperated sigh and nodded. She would hate if Artemis stayed in his twelve year-old mind-set – she would hate having to waste the better part of a decade teaching him what it meant to be human again.

'Good. We need to get to Haven. An hour ago.'

Holly smiled. In a way it was like having Root buzzing in her earpiece again.

Artemis stood up and walked to the back of the shuttle, presumably to meditate and fine tune his plan. But she didn't know if she could completely trust Artemis again. She was being irrational, and she knew it. This was the man who had put his life on the line countless times to save the People. The man who had once actually died to save the world. But she knew that despite how irrational it was, she would always question his judgment and hesitate when following orders. And the price of that hesitation would be paid by the People and Mud-Men alike. She glanced over to where Artemis was sitting and saw the notepad he had left on his seat. She put the shuttle on autopilot for a second and pushed the joystick as far it would go, making sure they wouldn't lose any time because of her curiosity. She looked at the paper and realised she wouldn't be able to decipher any of it. She saw the word 'Cassiterite' underlined and circled, the equation '3 SnO2 + 4 Fe - 3 Sn + 2 Fe2O3', several 'Vs', a few 'As' and the Greek letter rho, which looked a lot like the English letter 'p'. Her gift of tongues let her translate the Greek characters, but the Physics was beyond even magic. She had no idea that this sheet of paper and the erratic scribblings on it would spell their doom if she didn't hurry.

They arrived in Haven an hour later, and as soon they began to descend to land outside of Police Plaza, Artemis sprung up. He had a plan, and like Opal's it was simple. That's why it would work, but he knew Holly wouldn't like it. He grudgingly approached her as she was flicking a few switches and shutting down the ship. 'Holly, I have a plan. It may seem weird, but I need you to follow it to the letter. I need you to get Number One and take another shuttle. Hijack one if the LEP won't give you one. Then I need you to go to the surface and buy some orchids. They _have_ to come from the surface, and the more expensive the better, but they have to be alive, and I need something like five of them.' Holly opened her mouth to argue, but Artemis cut her off. 'Don't ask me why, just do it. Once you have, go up to the entrance of the E3, and find Opal. But be careful, she's sure to have some tricks up her sleeve. And you can't kill her, that's one of the reasons she chose Caballine. Just distract her. I need to sort something out down here.'

'Who's going to fly the shuttle if I'm not here?' Holly asked, though it was the least interesting of her questions. Why would Artemis need an orchid? Was he trying to get her out of the way so she would be safe? None of it made any sense to her.

'Butler will fly the shuttle. After all how different can it be from a helicopter, jet, or car? I can read what it says on the switches and Butler can fly. Together we should make it. I do need some other things, but Foaly should be able to sort those out for me.'

Holly just shrugged her shoulders and began to leave. As she was about to leave she turned and hugged Butler's thigh. 'Don't die on me, ok big guy?' Butler looked a little embarrassed and tried petting her head in return. Holly turned to Artemis, muttered his name, nodded and left.

Artemis pretended not to notice and busied himself with his papers to buy himself a few seconds so he wouldn't meet Holly on the way out. It wasn't very discreet, but at this point he didn't really care anymore. After he had waited a minute or so, and a further minute for Butler to squeeze his bulk out of the shuttle, they went to Police Plaza. Artemis ignored the worried stares from the LEP as he walked in, and strode proudly to Foaly's office. He rapped his knuckles against the dark black glass, hoping that Foaly would hear him. A minute later he remembered that Foaly had soundproofed, and in fact everything-proofed his office. He walked around the box searching for a doorbell. Finally he found a small black button, camouflaged against the black, glass background behind it, and pressed it. A few seconds later the glass in front of where he was standing slid to one side letting him in. There was no time for any formalities, so he got right to the point: 'You know why I cut you off.' It wasn't a question, so much as a statement, but he wanted to be sure.

To his relief Foaly nodded.

'Good. If we want to stop Opal and save Caballine, I will need a few things. I need a court order from the Council, or whatever the fairy equivalent is, two neutrinos, fragmentation grenades, a parachute of, let's say, 200 metres in diameter, and two microfilament suits that will fit Butler and myself.'

Butler who had heard both of Artemis' shopping lists had to wonder- would this work? Artemis always seemed to have a solution, but Butler wasn't so sure this time. How could a parachute, an orchid, and a court order possibly save the world?

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	4. Realisations (Part Two)

***Author's Note***

Thanks to Zerefire for the one and only review of this chapter. More than 250 people viewed this story between the last chapter and this one, and only one person reviewed. Not cool guys. If it's shit, let me know, if it's good, let me know. If you do review, please say something specific that you liked, or something you would have changed. So we're nearing the end of the 'plotty' part of the story and getting onto the soppy love story, so be prepared for a change of pace... Has anyone guessed what the flower's for? PM me if you guess, don't leave a spoiler in the reviews.

Enjoy this long-ass chapter!

Realisations (Part II)

Haven

Foaly looked at Artemis quizzically before trotting over to his computer and once again attacking his computer. He stayed like that for a minute or so, muttering a few incoherent words which were inaudible over the racket of his mechanical keyboard. 'Artemis, take a step to your left.' He ordered before going back to typing.

Artemis was confused, but he duly stepped aside. A few lasers suddenly sprouted out of a hidden projector and scanned their way up Artemis' length. 'Foaly? What's this about?'

'Size. For the microfilament suit.' The lasers disappeared and hummed contentedly. 'Butler, you next.'

Butler stepped onto the exact spot where Artemis had been and the lasers repeated the process.

'It's vital that the suits fit perfectly, and as I don't make suits for giants, they'll have to be custom made. I've already put the work order out for the parachute, and it'll be done in about half an hour. The suits might take a minute longer, but you should be on your way soon enough. Now this Council mandate… that'll be harder. The Council only meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and they don't generally entertain Mud-Men…' He trailed off letting Artemis cut him off.

'I never said it had to be real, just convincing.'

'What's it for?'

'A warehouse. I need an order to confiscate as many fire extinguishers as I can fit in the shuttle. You know the kind that hardens on contact with air? I need those, and lots of them.'

'Foaly shook his head. You can't put the core out, it's too hot. And by the time you get back the cassiterite will already have hit the core. There's nothing we can do to stop it.'

'I know. I modelled the cassiterite ore on a cube in the shuttle. It should reach the core in about an hour. We need to be right next to the E3 when the ore hits. If I'm right we might make it, but we need to hurry. So can you do it? Forge the Council mandate?'

'It shouldn't be too hard, I have the council members' thumbprints and signatures on file, and I can 3D print the document so the signatures are realistic and the fingerprints are stamped on instead of photocopied. Wait a second.' He turned back to the computer and pulled up a blank template of the Council mandate, put the fingerprints and signatures in the right places, and typed the requisition order. After playing with the paper thicknesses and the materials used to imitate the ink and fingerprints he pressed print. A dull grey box in the corner of the room whirred to life. The readout on Foaly's monitor said the printing job would be done in four and a half minutes. It began to count down the seconds with painstaking leisure.

Four minutes later, an official-looking document rolled out of the printer. Artemis had to admit it was surprisingly accurate for a five-minute job. He could tell it would work, as long as the warehouse owner didn't call the LEP when two Mud-Men approached his business demanding his goods free of charge…

'Where's the closest warehouse?'

'Go! I'll transmit the coordinates to the shuttle. Hurry! And remember Artemis, Caballine's relying on you. Are you sure this is going to work?'

'Yes.' Artemis lied.

They squeezed into the shuttle, and after a few minutes of trial and error with the controls, Butler seemed to get the hang of it. 50 minutes to save the world.

Downtown Haven

Holly stepped out of the shuttle onto the campus of Haven's Warlock Institute, the finest school of magic in Haven. She knew that No1 would be here, learning from the Qwan, the elder warlock from Hybras. She knew she wouldn't be able to explain why she needed him, but he would come. He had too big a heart for his own good. She went in and asked for No1 in the reception area. The helpful pixie receptionist pointed her down a new-looking corridor with a sign saying 'Demon Warlocks'. She hurried down the hall, opening every door she came across. They were all empty except the very last one. Through the rectangle of glass set in the door she could see No1 and Qwan battling with magic. Well, not really battling, but they were trying to win some sort of tug-of-war using only magic. The strain was evident on Qwan's face, but No1 could have been relaxing in a mud-bath. He turned around, looking completely unimpressed by Qwan's efforts. When he saw Holly his vacant expression morphed into a beaming smile. He must have been toying with Qwan because he quickly increased his efforts only a fraction and the rope was torn from Qwan's influence and flung against the wall next to Number One.

'Holly!' he shouted, grinning at her through the small window in the door. 'What are you doing here?'

Qwan looked a little disgruntled by the disturbance in the lesson he had been teaching Number One, but said nothing out of respect for Holly.

'Artemis needs your help. We have a… uh… situation. I'll explain later, but we need to go now!'

Qwan grumbled a little, but it was more out of feeling left out rather than being offended by the kidnapping of his best, and only, student.

Number One nodded. 'What are we waiting for then?'

Fire-Out Headquarters, Downtown Haven

Tulip was feeling smug. It was a sensation she was becoming used to of late. Despite the Council's repeated instance to the contrary, Fairies were just as sexist as Mud-Men, and for her to become the owner of a successful business as a woman with the a name as ridiculous as 'Tulip' was reason enough to feel justified smugness. She was petite and very short, even for a pixie, with long auburn hair that she liked to think looked like a waterfall of fire sprouting from her head. She was a proud creature with rules and habits that she followed to the 't'. It was what had made her so successful - where her competitors wasted their time with their loved ones, she was signing contracts that would drive them out of business. She had in fact become the sole major supplier of fire extinguishers in Haven, and was thinking of opening a branch in Atlantis. She had no doubt that she would be equally successful there. She was initially surprised when she saw a shuttle with LEP markings descending into the loading area of her warehouse, but she quickly composed herself and reminded herself that whatever reason they were here for, her lawyers could handle. She set off at a brisk trot and was taken aback when she saw a fully grown troll wearing a Zegna suit force his way out of the shuttle door. She was about to run screaming back to the relative safety of the warehouses when she realised that it was in fact a Mud-Man who had quite simply forgotten to stop growing. She took this in and quickly realised that screaming and bolting back inside would probably be the best course of action anyway. Before she had a chance to do this a voice from behind the giant called out 'We are friends' in Gnommish. She beginning to think she was having a stroke when a smaller Mud-Man stepped out of the shuttle.

'Hello Miss…' he paused while he looked down at a piece of paper in his hand 'Tulip. I have not the time nor patience to spare on formalities so I will cease to beat around the proverbial bush: I need all the fire extinguishers you can fit into this shuttle. The kind which hardens on contact with air. Have your employees load them into the shuttle right away.'

'I'm not giving you anything! I'm calling the LEP! How did you get into Haven? How do you speak the Fairy tongue?' She cried backing away and withdrawing her phone from her back pocket.

'How careless of me.' Drawled Artemis, her stubbornness tiring him. 'I have a Council mandate here to back my claim. This is a matter of urgency and I am sure they will reimburse you in due course, and if not I will do so personally, but enough timewasting: make yourself useful and start loading.'

She backed away clutching the scrap of paper he had thrust into her hands. She turned her back on him and began shouting orders to her employees. She had decided that it didn't matter whether he had a mandate or not, the giant looked like he could put her warehouse on his shoulders and walk away with it if he had so wished, and she preferred her property to stay where it was. Much to her disdain, she picked up a single cylinder and began lugging it towards the shuttle. She was pleased that the huge Mud-Man had stayed put; she didn't want to imagine how her workers would react to his presence. Once the last of the fire extinguishers had been dutifully packed into the shuttle, and the last of the workers had retreated back to the warehouse she turned to the smaller Mud-Man. 'You're Artemis Fowl, aren't you?'

'Yes.' He replied, and as if she wasn't even there, he turned his back on her and took his phone out of his breast-pocket.

Tulip turned and walked back to the warehouse in as dignified a manner as she could manage after having been semi-robbed. She didn't know why, but for some reason, his cool manner appealed to her. She knew that if he decided to make a foray into selling fire extinguishers, he would sink her business in the first week. He was as efficient and driven as she was, and she liked it.

Artemis hung up and glanced at Butler. 'He should be here in two minutes. We're cutting this fine.'

Butler said nothing. He was too busy looking forward to sharing the already cramped space that the tiny craft offered with five hundred fire extinguishers.

Sure enough, one minute and fifty-six seconds later, Foaly's shuttle landed next to them. The man himself emerged a second later pushing a heavily-laden hover-cart.

'Good, you're packed. I've got what you asked for. Four 'nades, two Neutrinos, two microfilament suits, and the world's biggest parachute. Are you sure this'll work Artemis?'

Artemis ignored his question and asked 'Is the parachute equipped with ballast? What range of temperatures will the suits work at?'

'The backpack that holds the parachute should be heavy enough on its own to ensure that the canopy opens, and the suits are good for up to 5000⁰C. I've also got something fun that you might like.' He produced a crossbow with a long barbed bolt loaded in the barrel. 'It's a little project I've been working on recently. This is the only working prototype so if at all possible, I'd like it back when you're done… Just point and shoot it at any vehicle and it'll work its magic. Here-' he reached into his shirt-pocket and pulled out a black cuboid that looked like the remote for the gates at Fowl Manor. 'There are two buttons: one taps into the communications centre of the shuttle, and the other will release a localised EMP which will knock out all the electronics within 20 metres of the bolt. It should knock the shuttle out of the sky, but it's still in development, so don't rely on it.'

'Thanks.' said Artemis, awkwardly accepting the heavy crossbow and remote that were bundled into his arms.

'Is this going to work?'

'I don't know, old friend. But it's the best chance we have. It's too late to go back now.' With that, he turned around and walked up the stairs into the shuttle and disappeared.

Butler glanced apologetically at Foaly, and followed Artemis at a jog.

Navan, Northwest of Tara

Holly was bored and irritated. She wasn't meant to be cooped up in a shuttle waiting for No1 to return while the world underneath her, her world, was ending. She had sent No1 in her place to buy the flowers. He could disguise himself with magic better than shin implants and facial reconstruction ever could. She still couldn't shake the feeling that Artemis was just sending her out of the way to keep her safe. She wasn't a damsel in distress to be hidden away whenever danger popped up. She had saved the world at least as many times as Artemis had, and she had actually done something rather than just scheming. So why would he think that she couldn't handle it this time? The flowers must mean _something_ but she couldn't figure out how a couple orchids were going to help conquer a mentally unstable evil genius. Either way, she hoped No1 managed to buy the damned flowers so they could get to China in time. She was lost in her thoughts and worries. One particular worry kept returning to the forefront of her mind: what if No1 got distracted? He was always too curious and friendly. 'D'Arvit!' swore Holly. She could imagine him sitting with the lady who sold flowers, enjoying some tea and asking questions that human eight year olds ought know the answer to. 'D'Arvit! Cowpóg!' She knew No1 couldn't hear her calling him a moron, but it was cathartic nonetheless.

Ten or so minutes later No1 returned, carrying five identical orchids.

'What took you so long?' Holly demanded, furious not so much at him, but at her ridiculous assignment.

'Couldn't find the shop.' No1 replied sheepishly. Holly just grunted and began prepping the shuttle for the long journey, and the even longer day that waited for them. He hated lying, but he could tell that Holly wouldn't like to know that he had enjoyed some traditional Irish colcannon with a charming flower saleswoman.

En route to the E3

'Artemis?'

'Yes, Butler?'

'What exactly are we up against here? And how are the hell are the fire extinguishers going to help? And the flower? You were just getting her out of the way, weren't you?'

'Patience, dear friend. I can only tell you fragments of the plan, fragments which won't matter if Opal overhears them. Opal has had time to plot, and in her plotting, she has chanced upon quite possibly, the simplest way to wipe out the Fairy people entirely, and take a good portion of the surface world with it. You have, I assume heard of thermite?'

'You mean like the grenades?'

'Yes, thermite grenades. Or more precisely the incredibly exothermic RedOx reaction that makes thermite grenades so effective. Conventional thermite reactions are composed of a mixture of iron oxide and aluminium powders. Aluminium is much more reactive than iron, and rips the oxygen away from the iron, and forms aluminium oxide, and releases energy. Energy in the form of a temperature increase of over a thousand degrees Celsius.'

'Aluminium? Iron? Opal stole tin!' Butler astutely pointed out, vainly hoping that Artemis somehow had missed that glaringly obvious point.

'Most thermite reactions use aluminium and iron because they produce the most volatile reaction relative to their cost. However, as tin is less reactive than iron, a mixture of tin oxide and iron will produce a similar effect. Given enough time, even tin will react with oxygen in the air. Most tin comes out of the ground as Cassiterite, a compound primarily made of SnO2, tin oxide. The genius of Opal's plan is that all she needs to do is drop the tin down the E3 and wait. Most of it will make its way to core, and react with the iron therein. The resulting reaction will superheat the surrounding air and even boil most of the tin. These gases will rise through the E3 and diffuse into the surrounding chutes and boil the People alive. The filtering systems aren't made for surges like that. If the gases are allowed to spread, they will erupt from every chute, volcano, and fissure on the surface. Even Atlantis won't be safe. There are enough deep-sea volcanic vents by Atlantis to boil half the ocean. But that's not the end of it. No, no, no, the gases will push against the tectonic plates and cause Earthquakes the likes of which the world hasn't seen this geological era. Tsunamis will flood the continents. Volcanoes will melt what's left of the dry land. Most complex life on Earth will become extinct, but at least Opal will win. At least she'll have the last laugh.' He paused for a second, oblivious to the fact that even Butler was unsettled by the very real prospect of the end of the world. 'So, how long till we get there?' He asked with false cheeriness.

'ETA ten minutes.' Butler replied, doing his utmost to remain composed. He didn't even have the heart to follow-up on his other questions- he might even have been too afraid to hear the answers.

Neither boy nor bodyguard broke the silence. The tension became a living entity in its own right, sharing the cramped journey with the Mud-Men and the fire extinguishers.

When they were only a few minutes away, Butler dared break the silence: 'But the fire extinguishers? You can't hope to put the core out with a few hundred fire extinguishers? And you can't block the tin from falling- it's too heavy and it's falling too fast!'

'We're too late to stop the tin.' Artemis said softly. 'It should reach the core in under ten minutes. Put her in autopilot and suit up.' He ended the conversation abruptly, and Butler knew better than to argue, especially when there was so much at stake.

Artemis was pulling on his microfilament suit with as much success as a donkey trying to thread a needle when the radio buzzed to life.

'I've got the demon and the bloody flowers. We're by the entrance of the E3. Artemis- Opal's here. She's just… she's just waiting. Whenever we get within a hundred metres of her she flies away, but she's just…'

'Waiting.' Finished Artemis. 'Yes I thought she might want to see her work from above. No matter. Keep her occupied. Report back at five minute intervals. Wait for my call.'

'So I'm just meant to babysit her? Artemis what's going on?'

'This is slightly time-sensitive Holly, so you'll have to forgive me if I don't have time to elaborate.' He terminated the radio contact, wondering whether he was being too harsh. It was of course a self-defence mechanism. If he was rude to Holly, she would reciprocate the sentiment, and they would drift apart. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than any alternative.

'Artemis.' Butler said disapprovingly, but he knew that Artemis didn't have mood-swings: everything he said and did had a purpose, whether it was obvious or not.

Once they were dressed from head to toe in microfilament cloth, and wearing helmets made only hours ago, they taxied to the entrance of the E3 and waited.

'After the tin goes past us, we'll have a ten minute window before the gas starts going past us. It'll be too late then. After the tin's underneath us, we need to drop the parachute and unload all the fire extinguishers onto the canopy. The parachute should be wide enough to reach touch the edges of the chute, and it'll act as a platform. A moving platform, but a platform nonetheless. When all the fire extinguishers are on the platform, we drop the grenades which'll blow the fire extinguishers. The foam will harden on contact with the air, and we should have a makeshift cork in the explosive champagne bottle that is the E3…' He trailed off and the look of adrenaline fuelled excitement that had dominated his face was replaced with a vacant stare. Butler's enthusiastic nodding stopped immediately when he noticed the change. 'No. No, no, no! The simplest of details! It can't be?!'

'Artemis?' Butler asked, beginning to worry.

But Artemis ignored him, sprinting towards the radio, carelessly leaving an avalanche of fire extinguishers in his wake. 'FOALY! FOALY! The grenades! Can they be remotely detonated? It has to be precise! FOALY!'

'No, Artemis.' Replied Foaly's haggard voice. 'They're on a set fuse, and you don't have time to modify them.'

Artemis sat heavily into the pilot's chair. All his energy abandoned his limbs, leaving only the limp shell of the genius behind. 'I can see it already: Here lies Artemis Fowl II, defeated by the details.' He said morbidly.

'Can't we just shoot them?' Asked Butler hopefully.

'No.' Replied both Artemis and Foaly simultaneously. 'They all need to be set off at the same time or they won't block the tunnel. We need an explosion.'

There was a shudder, then the thundering crack of metal striking rock, and through the windows of the shuttle they could see the mountains of tin raining down, mere minutes away from its target. The sight of it further reinforced the hopelessness of their situation.

Somewhat inappropriately considering the circumstances, Butler began to roar with laughter. 'Here I am, stuck in a shuttle with the brightest human, and the world's most irritating centaur, and _I'm _the one who works it out! The helmets! They've got self-destruct sequences in them right? We just have to drop them down and press the button right?'

Foaly understood immediately: 'Yes!' he shouted, and then paused. 'But they're not powerful enough to blow them all. You've only got two Neutrinos and two helmets. You'll need at least twice that. And they're not designed to be bombs, they won't detonate unless they detect the user's death, or someone presses the button manually. Either way, there's a ten second fuse, and you won't be able to judge the distance any more accurately than you could with the grenades. You'd need someone to go down there and do it themselves... In the end, they'll be just as useless as the grenades…'

Before Foaly had stopped speaking Artemis reached for the communicator to give Holly her orders. 'Holly. You need to go straight down the E3 RIGHT. NOW.'

'I'll be there in ten minutes, eight if I break the airspeed record.'

'Eight would be nice.' Butler shouted.

'We need to get everything ready for Holly so when she gets here she can set the charges before the gas blast. It'll be easier to use the grenades than wasting all our fairy-tech, but she'll still need to get down there and rig the grenades on the parachute.' Artemis commanded. Butler did not complain.

Butler began rigging the static line for the parachute, and Artemis began piling the fire extinguishers up next to the door. When the static line was ready, Butler opened the door. Even with the suits on the heat from the core was almost unbearable. The orange light from the core bathed the stark brown walls of the chute in a firey light. The air was so thick it seemed to cast flickering shadows on the walls. Artemis knew he would bake, suit or no suit, if he stayed outside the shuttle for too long.

Butler pretended not to notice, and gritting his teeth he flung the parachute into the cavernous chute. It fell for twenty metres or so with the static line trailing behind it, before the cable snapped taut and the canopy of the parachute opened, blocking the entire chute. The relief was instantaneous- it was like stepping into the shade on a sweltering summer's day.

Artemis gratefully accepted the respite, and grimly followed Butler back into the shuttle to retrieve the fire extinguishers. The two men fell into a silent rhythm, fetching the fire extinguishers, lugging them to the door, and flinging them into the abyss, and listening for the 'woosh' sound that the parachute made when the fire extinguishers landed. They worked in painful silence, letting the repetitive monotony of their task soothe their nerves. When they were halfway through the unloading process Butler broke the silence.

'Why don't we just fly down to the parachute, drop the grenades and fly back up? We don't need Holly, if we get close enough, the grenades'll just sit on the parachute with the extinguishers and do their business.'

'If only it were that simple Butler. As soon as we get close enough to the parachute, the downward thrust of the shuttle's engines which is keeping us airborne will be near enough to have an effect on the parachute. The air currents will disturb the parachute, and the fire extinguishers will rain uselessly down into the core. The charges need to be placed manually.'

Butler sighed in resignation and dropped the four fire extinguishers nestled in his arms onto the parachute below.

When there were only a few fire extinguishers left, Holly's voice echoed out of the speaker system: 'I'll be there in one minute.' Her voice determined, but otherwise devoid of emotion.

Artemis sprinted to the console and Butler picked up the remaining fire extinguishers and rushed them out the door. 'I need you to dock next to our shuttle, then set your ship to hover next to ours and board our shuttle.'

Holly knew there was no time to ask why, and answered with a simple 'Ok.'

A few seconds later, the dark shape of Holly's shuttle materialised next to them, and a gangplank between the two ships appeared.

Holly and No1 walked into the ship. Holly strode purposefully towards Artemis, stopping only for a second to stare at the strange sight of the parachute heavily laden with fire extinguishers a few hundred metres below them.

'Artemis, what do you want?' Holly asked as she would a general in wartime- coldly, but with unquestioning obedience.

'Opal's plan is to drop the tin into the core. The reaction between the tin oxide and the iron will have the power to wipe out most life on Earth, fairies, Mud-Men, plants- everything. We need you to set off those fire extinguishers.' He gestured out a porthole to the slowly descending parachute. They need to be set off at the same time, and the only way is with an explosion. We need you to take some grenades, spread them out over the parachute, and fly back up. You need to go _now_.'

As if on cue, the walls of the chute trembled, and a deep roar echoed out of the chute.

'That's the tin. It's reached the core, and the wave of gases will be here in one minute, one-and-a-half if we're lucky.' Artemis paused knowing he could add nothing else that would help her on her mission.

Holly ignored his hesitation and scooped up the grenades and made her way to the door.

Artemis threw sense and reason to the wind. This might be the last time he saw her, or anyone for that matter, alive. He ran towards her, bent down and hugged her with all his might.

Holly stiffened at his touch, and was tempted to throw him off, but she understood. This would, in all likelihood, be the last time they saw each other. She was glad he had decided to make up with her. She didn't want to die knowing that she was on bad terms with her best friend.

Artemis knelt down and pushed the visor of his helmet against hers- a strangely intimate gesture of farewell. 'You'll be fine, ok? You'll make it back, and we'll talk… we'll talk about us…' He let her go, but she pulled him back in.

'I hate you.' She whispered, making sure only he could hear. Was she joking? She didn't even know herself. She pushed him away, nodded at the motley crew they had assembled, stamped her foot, and swan-dived out of the shuttle.

Artemis pulled himself off the floor and stood up. He was ashamed that he had put his ego, no his heart, in front of saving the world. Holly couldn't have much more than thirty seconds left. It was so typical that something as irrational as love would be thing separating him from success. But more importantly, what did 'I hate you' mean? It wasn't the syntax that confused Artemis, but the true meaning behind the words. Did she actually hate him, or was it endearing sarcasm and she really liked him too? He could never get his head around the nuanced science of saying something and meaning something completely different.

Holly was a mess as she freefell towards her certain death. How could Artemis think it was a good idea to bring up the disaster that was their love-life? But maybe this was about _life_. She knew she liked Artemis, she knew that she wanted to try make things work with him, now more than ever, but she also knew he would just break her heart again. He was so cruel to bring it up now, of all times, when she couldn't focus on anything but her task. But how could she ignore what he'd said. 'We'll talk about us….' Did 'us' even exist? Had it ever existed? She forced herself to concentrate on setting the grenades. There was a back-breaking jolt as her wings opened out of her suit, and began beating against the heavy air. Without waiting for her fall to stop she reached for her belt and threaded her finger through the rings of the four grenades. She tugged on the rings and the pins came free of the grenade, and the spring-loaded strike levers shot off the grenades. She came to a rest about ten metres above the parachute and began throwing the grenades individually onto the parachute. She spread them as evenly as she could before jolting the wings into gear and shooting away from the parachute at full speed. A few painful seconds later she heard the deafening noise of the explosion, and saw huge, fairy-sized droplets of foam whizzing past her. She glanced down and saw the perfect seal the foam had made and knew she had succeeded. She looked back up, her eyes searching for the shuttle when she saw her doom: one of the droplets that had been shot into the air by the explosion had reached the apex of its flight, and was now hurtling down towards her. She only just had time to twist her body away from the falling droplet to save herself from the now rock-hard chunk of foam. Her wings, however, weren't as lucky. There was a resounding crack and one of her wings was torn clean off her back. She felt the skin on her back blistering as it was exposed to the heat of the chute. She began to fall. Her fall only slightly slowed by her one remaining wing's pathetic beating.

Artemis had seen the droplet on its way up, and was prepared for the terrible eventuality. Even so, for a horrible moment he was mesmerised by her erratic fall. Still staring at her falling body he shouted to Butler: 'Holly's been hit. She's falling.'

Butler knew immediately what he had to do. He turned the shuttle around and pushed the joystick so far that its metal housing began to bend. The shuttle shot down at an amazing speed, breaking the sound barrier and accelerating further. The change in direction startled No1, and his limp body was flung against the back of the shuttle.

Artemis however was prepared, and clutched the steel hand-rail by the porthole he had watched Holly from. Looking out the window, he caught a glimpse of Holly freefalling towards the foam plug, but because he was moving at least twice her speed, it looked as though she were flying upwards. They flew past Holly, and just thirty metres above the plug Butler righted the shuttle, but allowed it to keep falling at a slower pace. No1, who had been pinned against the back wall fell to the floor heavily. Artemis had precious few seconds to work out a plan. How could he cushion her fall? The shuttle had been stripped bare to accommodate as many fire extinguishers as possible. The fact that Butler hadn't stopped the shuttle completely would help. But Holly was still falling much faster and the fall would still undoubtedly kill her if she landed on the hard metal shuttle. Think! There was nothing else for it. It was time for Artemis to step up and be the gentleman his upbringing had trained him to be. It was clichéd, but Holly had flipped the tables enough times in saving his life, so he thought she would forgive him for the total lack of originality. He reached up and found a hatch that led out onto the roof of the shuttle. With an uncharacteristic absence of concern for his own safety he fought against the hot air currents doing their utmost to tear him from the roof. He looked up and saw Holly rapidly approaching. Butler had done a good job keeping her right above the shuttle, but that wasn't what he wanted. He decided to risk it; there was no point in them both dying. He ducked his head back into the shuttle 'Ten metres to the right!' he shouted at Butler.

Butler frowned. He knew he had Holly perfectly centred above him, what was Artemis playing at?

Artemis felt the engines kick into gear and the shuttle move to the right. Keeping his centre of gravity low he shuffled towards the edge of the shuttle. Ever aware that Holly was now only a few metres above his head he looked down, judging the distance between the shuttle and the plug. He put one foot over the edge of the edge of the shuttle and putting all his weight on the other foot he braced himself and waited. He had to remind himself to fight the urge to tense up. If either of them were to survive this, he would have to crumple and fall.

Despite the chaos around her, Holly was resigned. She knew there was no way she could survive the fall. Even the pain in her back faded as she made peace with her fate. That was until she noticed Artemis beneath her. Was he trying to catch her? She tried to scream and tell him to move. She was falling too fast, he would be crushed. She couldn't move, she couldn't do anything but fall. When she finally hit his arms she was surprised by how soft the landing was. She opened her eyes and realised she was still falling, but at a tiny fraction of the speed. Holly looked around and saw the shuttle crash into the plug, which, to her relief, held. She looked up and saw she was trapped in Artemis' embrace. Then she understood. Artemis had put himself on the edge of the shuttle to slow her fall; not to stop it. When she hit him, his foot that was still on the shuttle slowed them down, enough to so she would survive the second leg of their fall, but not so much that his catching her crushed them both. He had slowed them down enough to survive the remaining five or six metres separating them from the plug. The foam rushed up beneath them, and she landed softly, cushioned by Artemis. She felt his ribs snap like twigs beneath her and tried to escape the hold he had on her, but he was clutching onto her as if his life depended on it. Butler kicked open the shuttle door and scampered out onto the plug, with a battered No1 on his heels. Even as they hurried towards her, she saw the red sparks playing over No1's punished form. 'Heal' she whispered. A solitary blue spark left her hand, but none followed. She had forgotten, as she too often did, to perform the ritual after she had left Fowl Manor. 'He needs you No1!' she screamed desperately.

No1's trot turned to an awkward sprint as he hurried towards her.

Butler got there first and gently released Holly from Artemis' embrace.

'Can you save him No1?'

'He's not doing too well, but I'll do my best.' He knelt down next to Artemis and gently pressed his palms against his chest. 'Heal'. The red sparks seemed to erupt from his fingers as the healing began. Artemis' chest seemed to inflate as his broken ribs were righted and fused together. His leg made a dreadful grating noise as the his shin bone extricated itself from the knee socket it had punched through when it had borne Holly's falling weight on its own. The healing took a full minute, and when at last the sparks dissipated, a perfectly healthy corpse lay on the plug. But No1 had one more trick. He cupped his hands and put one on top of the other making a hollow ball. For a second he just concentrated on his hand, but when he opened them there was a glimmering sphere of sparks. He tenderly dropped it onto Artemis' chest where it made a zapping noise and released a bright white light.

Artemis coughed and sat up. He wasn't sure if he was alive or simply dreaming in some afterlife he didn't believe in. There was a burning pain in his chest which he assumed he could blame on a defibrillator. He began to sit up, but was immediately knocked down by a flying Holly. She mumbled something indistinct in his ear and a second later he felt himself being carried to the shuttle in Butler's strong arms.

Holly was more surprised than anything that Artemis had survived. As she watched his limp body being carried to the crumpled shuttle she wondered: what's the point of living if I can't spend my life with those I love? There was no doubt in her mind now that she loved Artemis. Not because he had saved her life, but because of who he was, who he had always been. The man who would do anything for his family, for his friends, and for the greater good. The man who would win or die. The man who loved her.

Butler set Artemis down in the co-pilot's chair and waited for him to say something.

'Get' he Artemis gasped, pausing to catch his breath. 'Out of here. Find Opal.' He finished before passing out.

Butler waited for the others to get on board before starting the shuttle up. The tired engine wheezed to life, apparently aware there was too much at stake for it to die now, and they began to slowly ascend towards the other shuttle.

They were about to leave when they realised why Artemis had wanted to warn them: the built up gases were pushing against the plates with the force of a trillion, trillion atom sized bees travelling at a couple hundred times the speed of sound. They had managed to contain most of the gas, but there was still enough under the surface to cause some havoc. The walls of the chute began to tremble, and chunks of rock tumbled down into the abyss.

Holly pushed Butler out of the pilot's seat and began strapping herself in.

'Let's break the airspeed record twice in one day then, eh?'

***Author's Note***

What do we think of the action scenes? Is it fast-moving enough or is it too descriptive for something that's meant to be split-second?

Let me know!


	5. Author's Apology

Hey guys,

I've been getting lots of PMs about the status of the story. It has certainly been a while since it was updated. The next chapter is in the works, but I'm in the middle of lots of school work. I'm finishing a bout of exams, but immediately after that I have more (different type of exam), after that I have to learn a third of my next year's maths syllabus for an internship, after that I have my internal school exams, and after that I have the actual internship. So it is _unlikely _that you see an update in the coming days, and even weeks. However, during the summer holidays, updates will be much more frequent. If you do see an update it is because I had to take a break from revision, or the sheer weight of your peer pressure forced me to write it. I will delete this chapter once the next real chapter comes out.

Thanks for your patience,

Inventive Username Here.


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